A former Konami employee has shed some light on what it took to bring the infamous and horrifying P.T. demo onto PSN eight years ago and the conversation with Sony that brought it down. When the original P.T. demo was first released for free on the PlayStation 4 in 2014, players were mystified by its creepy repeating hallways that grew increasingly demented as they progressed. However, the demo was not what it first seemed to be. Players worked together to reveal that the demo was not crafted by a new indie developer known as 7780s Studios, as was claimed. Fans put together the clues to reveal it was, in fact, a stunning collaboration between Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro, for Konami's highly anticipated remake, Silent Hills.
Unfortunately, the unique and brilliant marketing campaign was for naught. Konami and Kojima ended their long-term partnership the following year, effectively scrapping whatever plans Konami had for the Silent Hill reboot. However, even eight years later, the P.T. demo has not been forgotten. The demo was removed from PSN and made unavailable for re-download. Fans have gone to great lengths to recreate the haunted hallways and shocking events of the demo with surprising accuracy using games like Media Molecule's Dreams, terrifyingly immersive Half-Life: Alyx mods, and most recently, Halo Infinite's Forge mode. While fans continue to lament what Kojima's Silent Hills could have been, a former Konami staffer has revealed some information on its controversial delisting.
A former staffer for Konami, Pearl L, has revealed the awkward and unique request their former employer made to Sony regarding removing and delisting the P.T. demo from the PlayStation Network. As reported by EuroGamer (via Video Games Chronicle), Pearl L took the opportunity to discuss their experience involving the legendary demo and answer a few questions on their Twitter account. Several replies reveal that the decision was not easy for Konami, indicating that many of the company's employees and Pearl L "...wish it had gone differently too." After working closely with Sony to help set up the fake publisher and developer for the mysterious demo, Pearl L expressed that it was highly awkward when they had to call Sony about the demo's removal. "We'd already gone thru a lot to get it set up, got a lot of operational exceptions. And then to add the request to block redownload? More engineering workarounds." Pearl L has since made their Twitter account private but not without mentioning that Konami's support staff, unfortunately, were the ones that had to deal with the backlash of disgruntled fans, which is something that neither Pearl L nor the support staff should be tasked with.
Eight Years Later, P.T. Still Haunts Fans
The delisting and blocking of redownloads for the P.T. demo was the first time Sony had been asked to do such a thing. Conversations around the demo recently resurfaced after many fans, including Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro, reflected on P.T.'s eighth anniversary. Many took the opportunity to praise the demo's complex mechanics and unique marketing tactics as well as reflect on the immersive horror experience P.T. delivered. Kojima believed it would take fans months to uncover its secrets and solve the mystery of the demo's true purpose. However, gamers and the internet accomplished the feat in only two days.
Thanks to the partnership between Kojima and Konami, the Metal Gear Solid franchise was brought into the world. But after Kojima left to start his own independent studio, Kojima Productions, the studio released Death Stranding, which received several Game of the Year nominations. While many fans await to see what Hideo Kojima's next project will be, Konami continues to baffle fans eagerly awaiting a new Silent Hill game. But no matter what Konami does with the popular franchise, it's unlikely the company will be able to pull off what Kojima accomplished with 2014's P.T. demo.
Source: EuroGamer, Video Games Chronicle